Identifying and recommending insurance policy products/services using informatic sensor data

ABSTRACT

A computer system and method for processing insurance claim data to identify and recommend insurance policy modifications using informatic data from one or more informatic sensor devices relating to a dwelling. Analytical analysis is performed on the received informatic data to determine a dwelling assessment value regarding an insurance risk relating to the dwelling. Electronic data relating to an insurance policy associated with the dwelling is received by a computer processor and is electronically analyzed to determine insurance coverage and liability values for the dwelling as prescribed by the insurance policy. Predefined business rules are utilized by a computer processor using at least the dwelling assessment value and the determined insurance coverage and liability values for the dwelling to determine, and preferably recommend, one or more insurance products for inclusion with the insurance policy to mitigate insuree liability regarding the dwelling.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser.No. 15/912,465, filed Mar. 5, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,783,588 whichis a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/251,411, filed Apr. 11, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,947,051 whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/926,093 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,091 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,095 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,098 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,103 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,108 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,111 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,114 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,118 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,119 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,121 filed Jan. 10, 2014; 61/926,123 filed Jan. 10, 2014;61/926,536 filed Jan. 13, 2014; 61/926,541 filed Jan. 13, 2014;61/926,534 filed Jan. 13, 2014; 61/926,532 filed Jan. 13, 2014;61/943,897 filed Feb. 24, 2014; 61/943,901 filed Feb. 24, 2014;61/943,906 filed Feb. 24, 2014; and 61/948,192 filed Mar. 5, 2014, allof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to a method and computerizedsystem for managing insurance and related products and services, andmore particularly, to using data captured from a dwelling foridentifying and recommending insurance policy products and/or services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smart house functionality is a maturing space, but the opportunity forinsurance companies remains largely untapped. Thus, the terms ofinsurance policies, such as homeowner insurance policies, may not bereflective of the true nature of the risks being insured.

Accordingly, there is an unmet need for measuring information relatingto an insured risk, such as a residence or structures located on theresidence premises, and utilizing that information to make appropriatemodifications to insurance policy terms, such as the deductible amount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose and advantages of the below described illustratedembodiments will be set forth in and apparent from the description thatfollows. Additional advantages of the illustrated embodiments will berealized and attained by the devices, systems and methods particularlypointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well asfrom the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the illustrated embodiments, in one aspect, a computer system andmethod are disclosed for processing insurance claim data to identify andrecommend insurance policy modifications using informatic data from oneor more informatic sensor devices relating to a dwelling. Analyticalanalysis is performed on the received informatic data to determine adwelling assessment value regarding an insurance risk relating to thedwelling. Electronic data relating to an insurance policy associatedwith the dwelling is received by a computer processor and iselectronically analyzed to determine insurance coverage and liabilityvalues for the dwelling as prescribed by the insurance policy.Predefined business rules are utilized by a computer processor using atleast the dwelling assessment value and the determined insurancecoverage and liability values for the dwelling to determine, andpreferably recommend, one or more insurance products for inclusion withthe insurance policy to mitigate insuree liability regarding thedwelling. Notification may then be provided regarding the determined andrecommended one or more insurance products.

This summary section is provided to introduce a selection of concepts ina simplified form that are further described subsequently in thedetailed description section. This summary section is not intended toidentify key features or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimedsubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying appendices and/or drawings illustrate variousnon-limiting, example, inventive aspects in accordance with the presentdisclosure:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in accordance withan illustrated embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a network computer device/node in accordance with anillustrated embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a dwelling from which sensor data iscaptured for subsequent analysis in accordance with an illustratedembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of operational steps of the dwelling analyzermodule of FIG. 3 in accordance with an illustrated embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of operational steps of the policy analyzermodule of FIG. 3 in accordance with an illustrated embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The illustrated embodiments are now described more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identifysimilar structural/functional features. The illustrated embodiments arenot limited in any way to what is illustrated as the illustratedembodiments described below are merely exemplary, which can be embodiedin various forms, as appreciated by one skilled in the art. Therefore,it is to be understood that any structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims and as a representation for teaching one skilled inthe art to variously employ the discussed embodiments. Furthermore, theterms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but ratherto provide an understandable description of the illustrated embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the illustrated embodiments,exemplary methods and materials are now described. All publicationsmentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose anddescribe the methods and/or materials in connection with which thepublications are cited.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “astimulus” includes a plurality of such stimuli and reference to “thesignal” includes reference to one or more signals and equivalentsthereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

It is to be appreciated the illustrated embodiments discussed below arepreferably a software algorithm, program or code residing on computeruseable medium having control logic for enabling execution on a machinehaving a computer processor. The machine typically includes memorystorage configured to provide output from execution of the computeralgorithm or program.

As used herein, the term “software” is meant to be synonymous with anycode or program that can be in a processor of a host computer,regardless of whether the implementation is in hardware, firmware or asa software computer product available on a disc, a memory storagedevice, or for download from a remote machine. The embodiments describedherein include such software to implement the equations, relationshipsand algorithms described above. One skilled in the art will appreciatefurther features and advantages of the illustrated embodiments based onthe above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the illustratedembodiments are not to be limited by what has been particularly shownand described, except as indicated by the appended claims. Allpublications and references cited herein are expressly incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety. For instance, commonly assignedU.S. Pat. Nos. 8,289,160 and 8,400,299 are related to certainembodiments described here and are each incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

As used herein, the term “risk related data” means data or informationthat may be relevant to an insurance company's decisions aboutunderwriting, pricing, and other terms and conditions on which it iswilling to issue insurance policies.

As used herein, the term “insurance” refers to a contract between aninsurer, also known as an insurance company, and an insured, also knownas a policyholder, in which the insurer agrees to indemnify the insuredfor specified losses, costs, or damage on specified terms and conditionsin exchange of a certain premium amount paid by the insured. In atypical situation, when the insured suffers some loss for which he/shemay have insurance the insured makes an insurance claim to requestpayment for the loss. It is to be appreciated for the purpose of theembodiments illustrated herein, the insurance policy is not to beunderstood to be limited to a residential or homeowners insurancepolicy, but can be for a commercial, umbrella, and other insurancepolicies known by those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term “dwelling” means a building or structure inwhich one or more persons reside, including a single family home,duplex, apartment building or other multi-family structure, a mobilehome, and/or a manufactured home.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1depicts an exemplary communications network 100 in which belowillustrated embodiments may be implemented.

It is to be understood a communication network 100 is a geographicallydistributed collection of nodes interconnected by communication linksand segments for transporting data between end nodes, such as personalcomputers, work stations, smart phone devices, tablets, televisions,sensors and or other devices such as automobiles, etc. Many types ofnetworks are available, with the types ranging from local area networks(LANs) to wide area networks (WANs). LANs typically connect the nodesover dedicated private communications links located in the same generalphysical location, such as a dwelling 300 or campus. WANs, on the otherhand, typically connect geographically dispersed nodes overlong-distance communications links, such as common carrier telephonelines, optical lightpaths, synchronous optical networks (SONET),synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) links, or Powerline Communications(PLC), and others.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example communication network100 illustratively comprising nodes/devices 101-108 (e.g., sensors 102,client computing devices 103, smart phone devices 105, servers 106,routers 107, switches 108 and the like) interconnected by variousmethods of communication. For instance, the links 109 may be wired linksor may comprise a wireless communication medium, where certain nodes arein communication with other nodes, e.g., based on distance, signalstrength, current operational status, location, etc. Moreover, each ofthe devices can communicate data packets (or frames) 142 with otherdevices using predefined network communication protocols as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, such as various wired protocolsand wireless protocols etc., where appropriate. In this context, aprotocol consists of a set of rules defining how the nodes interact witheach other. Those skilled in the art will understand that any number ofnodes, devices, links, etc. may be used in the computer network, andthat the view shown herein is for simplicity. Also, while theembodiments are shown herein with reference to a general network cloud,the description herein is not so limited, and may be applied to networksthat are hardwired.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example network computingdevice 200 (e.g., one of network devices 101-108) that may be used (orcomponents thereof) with one or more embodiments described herein, e.g.,as one of the nodes shown in the network 100. As explained above, indifferent embodiments these various devices be configured to communicatewith each other in any suitable way, such as, for example, viacommunication network 100.

Device 200 is only one example of a suitable system and is not intendedto suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality ofembodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, computingdevice 200 is capable of being implemented and/or performing any of thefunctionality set forth herein.

Computing device 200 is operational with numerous other general purposeor special purpose computing system environments or configurations.Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use with computing device 200include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, servercomputer systems, thin clients, thick clients, hand-held or laptopdevices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set topboxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputersystems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed data processingenvironments that include any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

Computing device 200 may be described in the general context of computersystem-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executedby a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines,programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Computing device 200 may be practiced in distributed data processingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed dataprocessing environment, program modules may be located in both local andremote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

Device 200 is shown in FIG. 2 in the form of a general-purpose computingdevice. The components of device 200 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 216, a system memory 228,and a bus 218 that couples various system components including systemmemory 228 to processor 216.

Bus 218 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computing device 200 typically includes a variety of computer systemreadable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessibleby device 200, and it includes both volatile and non-volatile media,removable and non-removable media.

System memory 228 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 230 and/or cachememory 232. Computing device 200 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 234 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 218 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 228 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 240, having a set (at least one) of program modules 215,such as dwelling analyzer module 306 and policy analyzer module 308described below, may be stored in memory 228 by way of example, and notlimitation, as well as an operating system, one or more applicationprograms, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operatingsystem, one or more application programs, other program modules, andprogram data or some combination thereof, may include an implementationof a networking environment. Program modules 215 generally carry out thefunctions and/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention asdescribed herein.

Device 200 may also communicate with one or more external devices 214such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 224, etc.; one or moredevices that enable a user to interact with computing device 200; and/orany devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enable computingdevice 200 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Suchcommunication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 222. Stillyet, device 200 can communicate with one or more networks such as alocal area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or apublic network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter 220. Asdepicted, network adapter 220 communicates with the other components ofcomputing device 200 via bus 218. It should be understood that althoughnot shown, other hardware and/or software components could be used inconjunction with device 200. Examples, include, but are not limited to:microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external diskdrive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storagesystems, etc.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are intended to provide a brief, general description of anillustrative and/or suitable exemplary environment in which embodimentsof the below described present invention may be implemented. FIGS. 1 and2 are exemplary of a suitable environment and are not intended tosuggest any limitation as to the structure, scope of use, orfunctionality of an embodiment of the present invention. A particularenvironment should not be interpreted as having any dependency orrequirement relating to any one or combination of components illustratedin an exemplary operating environment. For example, in certaininstances, one or more elements of an environment may be deemed notnecessary and omitted. In other instances, one or more other elementsmay be deemed necessary and added.

With the exemplary communication network 100 (FIG. 1 ) and computingdevice 200 (FIG. 2 ) being generally shown and discussed above,description of certain illustrated embodiments of the present inventionwill now be provided. With reference now to FIG. 3 , an example of adwelling 300 is shown which is to be understood to be any type ofdwelling structure (e.g., residential, commercial, retail, municipal,etc.) in which the capture and analysis of sensor data (102) is usefulfor the reasons at least described below. Dwelling 300 preferablyincludes a computing device 103 for capturing data from a plurality ofsensors 102 which capture data regarding various aspects of dwelling300, as further described below. It is to be understood dwellingcomputing device 103 may be located in any location, and its position isnot limited to the example shown.

Computing device 103 is preferably configured and operational to receive(capture) data from various sensors 102 regarding certain aspects(including functional and operational) of dwelling 300 (describedfurther below) and transmit that captured data to a remote server 106,via network 100. It is noted device 103 may perform analytics regardingthe captured sensor data regarding dwelling 300 and/or the remote server106, preferably located or controlled by an insurance company/carrier,may perform such analytics, as also further described below. It is alsoto be understood in other embodiments, data from sensors 102 may betransmitted directly to remote server 106, via network 100, thus eitherobviating the need for dwelling computing device 103 or mitigating itsfunctionality to capture all data from sensors 102.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 , dwelling computing device 103is shown coupled to various below described sensor types 102. Althoughvarious sensor types 102 are described below and shown in FIG. 3 , thesensor types described and shown herein are not intended to beexhaustive as embodiments of the present invention may encompass anytype of known or unknown sensor type which facilitates the purposes andobjectives of the certain illustrated embodiments described herein.Exemplary sensor types and their exemplary usages include (but are notlimited to):

Temperature sensor—configured and operational to preferably detect thetemperature present at the dwelling 300. For example, the temperaturemay rise and fall with the change of seasons and/or the time of day. Aperson may have a secondary home in a location that experiences lowtemperatures and is unoccupied for long stretches of time. The heatermay malfunction and the temperature present at the dwelling 300 may gobelow an acceptable level. Moreover, in the event of a fire, thetemperature present at the dwelling 300 may rise quickly—possibly to alevel of extreme high heat. The temperature sensor may make use ofprobes placed at various locations in and around the dwelling 300, inorder to collect a representative profile of the temperature present atthe dwelling 300. Probes placed at various locations in and around thedwelling 300 are connected to device 103 by wire, or by wirelesstechnology can send an alert to the person who owns the home or to theinsurance company so that mitigation action can occur. These probes maybe connected to device 103 by wire, or by a wireless technology. Forexample, if device 103 is positioned in the attic of the dwelling 300,the temperature may be higher than the general temperature present inthe dwelling. Thus, probes placed at various locations (e.g., in thebasement, on the various levels of a multi-level dwelling 300, indifferent rooms that receive different amounts of sun, etc.), in orderto obtain an accurate picture of the temperature present at thedwelling. Moreover, device 103 may record both the indoor and outdoortemperature present at the dwelling 300. For example, data about theindoor temperature, the outdoor temperature, and/or the differentialbetween indoor and outdoor temperatures, may be used as part of someanalysis model, and thus all of the different values could be stored.Device 103 may store an abstract representation of temperature (e.g.,the average indoor temperature, as collected at all of the probes), ormay store each temperature reading individually so that the individualreadings may be provided as input to an analysis model. An insurancecompany can also use the information collected from device 103 to sendto the homeowner targeted advice on how to save energy based upon thetemperature at the dwelling 300. For example, the energy sensor candetermine that to hit a targeted energy use for the month the homeownerneeds to set the temperature in the home at a different level. Thesedevices can all work together to save the homeowner electricity use.Humidity sensor—configured and operational to preferably detect thehumidity present at the dwelling 300. Humidity sensor may comprise thehumidity-detection hardware, or may employ one or more remote probes,which may be located inside and/or outside the dwelling 300. Humidityreadings from one or more locations inside and/or outside the dwellingcould thus be recorded by device 103. An example of this use of thissensor is that the humidity sensor 102 could detect that the humiditylevel in the home is over an acceptable range and send notice, eitherwired or wirelessly to device 103 so that the homeowner or insurancecompany can take an action. A homeowner may own an expensive art work orelectronic equipment and need the humidity to stay at an acceptablerange. The device 103 can determine that the humidity is over anacceptable range and send an alert to the homeowner or insurance companyso that corrective action can occur.Water Sensor(s)/Water pressure sensor(s)—configured and operational topreferably monitor water related conditions, including (but not limitedto): the detection of water and water pressure detection, for instancein the plumbing system (including sewer lines, water lines, HVAC system,appliances, and automatic fire suppression systems) in the dwelling 300.With regards to a water pressure sensor, it may have one or more probesattached to various locations of the dwelling's 300 plumbing, and thusdevice 103 may record the pressure present in the plumbing, and/or anychanges in that pressure. For example, plumbing systems may be designedto withstand a certain amount of pressure, and if the pressure risesabove that amount, the plumbing system may be at risk for leaking,bursting, or other failure. An example of this is with a dishwasher. Itcould be known that a model of a dishwasher at dwelling 300 should havea water pressure of X. If the washing machine's water pressure is higheror lower than it is supposed to, device 103 will collect thisinformation and could send an alert to the homeowner or insurancecompany so that mitigation action can take place. Thus, device 103 mayrecord the water pressure (and water flow) that is present in theplumbing system at various points in time. An analysis model could usethe information about water pressure in various ways such as rating thehome insurance, tracking water pressure, and/or providing advice andguidance.Water flow sensor—configured and operational to preferably monitor waterflow rate in the plumbing system (including sewer lines, water lines,HVAC system, appliances, and automatic fire suppression systems) in thedwelling 300. Water flow sensor may have one or more probes attached tovarious locations of the dwelling's 300 plumbing, such as faucets,showerheads and appliances, and thus water flow sensor 103 may measureand/or record the amount of water flowing through the dwelling's 300water supply system. Thus, device 103 may record the water flow that ispresent in the plumbing system at various points in time. An analysismodel could use the information about water flow in various ways such asrating the home insurance, tracking water consumption, or providingadvice and guidance. The readings of the amount of water used atdwelling 300 can be used to analyze and forecast an expected water bill.This can also be used for budgeting and finance management because ahistory of water usage at the dwelling 300 or certain appliances can bemeasured and displayed to the homeowner or insurance company. Thesereadings and usage can be provided to the homeowner so that he canbudget X amount of money each month for the water bill. Also, thehomeowner or insurer can track water use and determine based upon therate of energy consumption that the homeowner is on a pace to use moreor less water use than is budgeted. If the homeowner is on pace to usemore water than is budgeted the insurance company can provide advice andguidance on how the homeowner can reduce water use. If the homeowner ison pace to use less water than is budgeted the insurance company canhelp the homeowner in moving the unspent portion of the budget amount toa savings device like a CD or money market.Leak detection sensor—configured and operational to preferably monitorthe presence of leaks from gas and water plumbing pipes both inside andoutside the walls of the dwelling 300. The leak detection sensor mayhave one or more probes attached to various locations of the dwelling's300 plumbing and piping, and this device 103 may record the fact thatthere is a gas or water leak. An example of this is that a leakdetection sensor can be placed behind the washing machine. If the hosesthat connect the washing machine to the water line were to break theleak detection sensor would know that there was a water leak and notifythe insured and/or the insurance company. The insured can also giveprior authorization to the insurance company to act on their behalf tocorrect the water leak. For instance, call a plumber to turn off thewater at the street when the leak detector activates and the insureddoes not respond to the leak detection sensor after a certain period oftime. The leak detection sensors do not need to necessarily be placedaround the appliance or pipe that they are intended to check for leaks.For example, an insured could place a sensor on the main water line thatgoes into the dwelling 300 and this sensor could know by changes inpressure, temperature, etc. that there is a later or gas leak in thedwelling 300—even if the leak was inside the walls and not viewableinside the home. An analysis model could use the information about howoften the leak detection sensor alerts, whether the insured uses leakdetection sensor(s), and where they are placed in various ways such asrating the home insurance, tracking water pressure, and/or providingadvice and guidance.Wind speed sensor—configured and operational to record the wind speedpresent at the dwelling 300. For example, one or more wind sensors maybe placed outside the dwelling 300, at the wind speed and/or directionmay be recorded at various points in time. Device 103 may record thesewind speed and/or wind direction readings. The wind speed may be used byan analysis model for various purposes.Motion sensor—configured and operational to sense motion in the dwelling300 to which device 300 is attached. Typically, dwelling's 300 do notmove significantly, except in the event of a catastrophe. Motion sensormay indicate that the dwelling 300 is sliding down a hill (e.g., in theevent of an extreme flood or mudslide), or is experiencing a measurableearthquake. A motion sensor may further include earth sensors fordetecting sink holes and earth movement. In addition, a motion sensormay be configured and operational to sense the motion of objects withinthe dwelling.Electrical system sensor/analyzer configured and operational to assessthe condition of the dwelling's 300 electrical system. For example,potentiometers may be connected to various points in the dwelling's 300electrical system to measure voltage. Readings from the potentiometerscould be used to determine if the voltage is persistently too high, ortoo low, or if the voltage frequently drops and/or spikes. Suchconditions may suggest that the dwelling 300 is at risk for fire. Othertypes of electrical measurements could be taken, such as readings ofcurrent flowing through the electrical system. These readings could helpdetermine if an appliance is at risk of failure and damage. For example,it could be known that a model of water heater at dwelling 300 consumesX amount of electricity. If the water heater starts consuming moreelectricity than it is supposed to device 103 will collect thisinformation and could send an alert to the homeowner or insurancecompany so that mitigation action can take place. Still other types ofelectrical measurements could be determined include how energy is usedand at what times of day it is used, etc. The readings of the amount ofenergy used at dwelling 300 can be used to analyze and forecast anexpected energy bill. This can also be used for budgeting and financemanagement because a history of energy usage at the dwelling 300 orcertain appliances can be measured and displayed to the homeowner orinsurance company. These readings and usage can be provided to thehomeowner so that he can budget X amount of money each month for theenergy bill. Also, the homeowner or insurer can track energy use anddetermine based upon the rate of energy consumption that the homeowneris on a pace to use more or less energy use than is budgeted. If thehomeowner is on pace to use more energy than is budgeted the insurancecompany can provide advice and guidance on how the homeowner can reduceenergy use. If the homeowner is on pace to use less energy than isbudgeted the insurance company can help the homeowner in moving theunspent portion of the budget amount to a savings device like a CD ormoney market. Any type of data about the dwelling's 300 electricalsystem could be captured by device 103. An analysis model could use theinformation about electrical energy in various ways such as rating thehome insurance, tracking energy consumption, or providing advice andguidance.Positional sensor configured and operational to record the position ofdevice 103. For example, the positional sensor may be, or may comprise,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, which may allow the positionof device 103 to be determined. Or, as another example, positionalsensor may use triangulation technology that communicates with fixedpoints (such as wireless communication towers) to determine itsposition. While a dwelling 300 normally does not move, positional sensormay allow device 103 to be recovered in the event of a catastrophe. Forexample, if a dwelling 300 explodes, or is otherwise catastrophicallydamaged, device 103 may be propelled to an unknown location. Positionalsensor may indicate the geographical area of a dwelling 300 which ananalysis model could use in various ways. Positional sensor may recordthe position of device 103, which device 103 could communicate to anexternal source, thereby allowing device 103 to be found. Anotherexample of positional sensors is for the location, number, and use ofthe 102 sensors. The insurance company could provide different insurancerates, incentives for where the sensors are placed in the dwelling 300.The insurance company could also use the location of the 102 sensors toprovide advice and guidance about how to reduce the chance of ahomeowner loss or reduce energy/water use.Structural sensor—configured and operational to preferably detectvarious structural conditions relating to dwelling 300. A structuralsensor may comprise detection hardware, or may employ one or more remoteprobes, which may be located inside and/or outside the dwelling 300.Conditions recorded by structural sensor may include (but are notlimited to) the condition of the wall structure, floor structure,ceiling structure and roof structure of dwelling 300, which may beachieved via: load bearing detectors; components which measure the slopeof a floor/wall/ceiling; carpet conditions (e.g., via a nano sensor) orany other components functional to detect such conditions. Structuralreadings from one or more locations inside and/or outside the dwelling300 could thus be recorded by device 103 and used by an analysis modelin various ways.Environmental Sensor—configured and operational to preferably detectvarious environmental conditions relating to dwelling 300. Anenvironmental sensor may comprise detection hardware, or may employ oneor more remote probes, which may be located inside and/or outside thedwelling 300. Conditions recorded by an environmental sensor may include(but are not limited to) the air quality present in dwelling 300, thepresence of mold/bacteria/algae/lead paint or any contaminant adverse tohuman health (whether airborne or attached to a portion of the structureof dwelling 300). Such environmental readings from one or more locationsinside and/or outside the dwelling 300 could thus be recorded by device103 and used by an analysis model in various ways.Appliance Sensor—configured and operational to preferably detect variousoperating parameters relating to appliances within a dwelling 300.Examples of appliances include (but are not limited to) all kitchenappliances (e.g., refrigerator, freezer, stove, cooktop, oven, grill,dishwasher, etc.); HVAC components (air conditioner, heating system, airhandlers, humidifiers/de-humidifiers, etc.), water purification system,media entertainment system (e.g., televisions), networking components(routers, switches, extenders, etc.) electrical generator system, poolfiltration and heating system, garage door openers, sump pump and waterwell system, septic tank system, garage door opener, etc. An appliancesensor may comprise detection hardware, or may employ one or more remoteprobes, which may be located inside and/or outside the dwelling 300functional to detect certain operating parameters of appliances.Operating parameters detected by an appliance sensor 300 may include(but are not limited to): the operating efficiency of an appliance(energy usage, output performance); the time an appliance operates, theage of an appliance; maintenance needs of an appliance (e.g., change afilter component or schedule a periodic examination/tune-up); and repairneeds of an appliance (which may also include the identification ofparts needed). An example of this is with a dishwasher. It could be knowthat a model of a dishwasher at dwelling 300 should use X amount ofwater per minute when in use. If the washing machine's water use ishigher or lower than it is supposed to, device 103 will collect thisinformation and could send an alert to the homeowner or insurancecompany so that mitigation action can take place. Such appliancereadings from one or more dwelling appliances could thus be recorded bydevice 103 and used by an analysis model in various ways.Image Sensor—configured and operational to obtain image information ofthe subject within a dwelling 300. Examples of image sensors include(but are not limited to) visible light cameras, infrared cameras,two-dimensional (2D) cameras, three-dimensional (3D) cameras, thermalimage cameras, radar-capable sensors, sensors that detect otherwavelengths, and/or any combination thereof.

With exemplary sensors 102 identified and briefly described above, andas will be further discussed below, it is to be generally understoodsensors 102 preferably record certain data parameters relating toproducts and services provided by an insurance carrier, such as USAA, todetermine insurance policy modifications and other value added servicessuch as those described below. It is to be understood and appreciatedthe aforementioned sensors 102 may be configured as wired and wirelesstypes integrated in a networked environment (e.g., WAN, LAN, WiFi,802.11X, 3G, LTE, etc.), which may also have an associated IP address.It is to be further appreciated the sensors 102 may consist of internalsensors located within the structure of dwelling 300; external sensorslocated external of the structure of dwelling 300; sound sensors fordetecting ambient noise (e.g., for detecting termite and rodentactivity, glass breakage, intruders, etc.); camera sensors such as thoseconsisting of camera standalone devices, or by integrating into existingcamera devices in a dwelling 300. It is additionally to be understoodand appreciated that sensors 102 can be networked into a centralcomputer hub (e.g., device 103) in a dwelling to aggregate collectedsensor data packets. Aggregated data packets can be analyzed in either adwelling computer system (e.g., device 103) or via an external computerenvironment (e.g., server 106). Additionally, it is to be understooddata packets collected from sensors 102 can be aggregated in dwellingcomputing device 103 and send as an aggregated packet to server 106 forsubsequent analysis whereby data packets may be transmitted atprescribed time intervals (e.g., a benefit is to reduce cellular chargesin that some dwellings 300 may not have Internet access or cellularservice is backup when dwelling Internet service is nonfunctioning).

In accordance with an illustrated embodiment, in addition to theaforementioned, the sensors 102 being utilized relative to dwelling 300,dwelling computing device 103 may additionally be coupled to a Clock 320which may keep track of time for device 103, thereby allowing a givenitem of data to be associated with the time at which the data wascaptured. For example, device 103 may recurrently capture readings oftemperature, wind speed, humidity, appliance operating times, etc., andmay timestamp each reading. The time at which the readings are taken maybe used to reconstruct events or for other analytic purposes, such asthose described below. For example, the timestamps on wind speedreadings taken during a hurricane may allow it to be determined, afterthe hurricane has occurred, how quickly the wind speed rose in thevicinity of the dwelling 300.

A storage component 322 may further be provided and utilized to storedata readings and/or timestamps in device 103. For example, storagecomponent 322 may comprise, or may otherwise make use of, magnetic oroptical disks, volatile random-access memory, non-volatile random-accessmemory, or any other type of storage device. There may be sufficientdata storage capacity to store several hours or several days worth ofreadings. For example, the severe part of a hurricane might last forhalf a day, a full day, or several days. Storage component 322 mighthave sufficient storage capacity to allow twelve or more hours ofreadings to be stored, thereby allowing forensic reconstruction of howthe hurricane affected the dwelling 300 during the full time that thedwelling 300 was experiencing the hurricane's impact.

A communication component 324 may further be provided and utilized tocommunicate recorded information from dwelling computing device 103 toan external location, such as computer server 106, which may beassociated with an insurance carrier such as USAA. Communicationcomponent 324 may be, or may comprise, a network communication card suchas an Ethernet card, a WiFi card, or any other communication mechanism.However, communication component 324 could take any form and is notlimited to these examples. Communication component 324 might encryptdata that it communicates, in order to protect the security and/orprivacy of the data. Communication component 324 may communicate datarecorded by device 103 (e.g., data stored in storage component 322) toan external location, such as server 106. For example, server 106 may beoperated by an insurance company, and may collect data from dwellingcomputing device 103 to learn about risks and needs and other analyticsrelative to dwelling 300 in which device 103 is located. Communicationcomponent 324 may initiate communication sessions with server 106. Or,as another example, server 106 may contact device 103, throughcommunication component 324, in order to receive data that has beenstored by device 103. Additionally, data from sensors 102, clock 320and/or storage component 322 may be communicated directly to server 106,via network 100, thus obviating or mitigating the need for dwellingcomputing device 103.

In the example of FIG. 3 , communication component 324 (which is shown,in FIG. 3 , as being part of, or used by, dwelling computing device 103)communicates data to server 106. Server 106 may comprise, or otherwisemay cooperate with, a data analysis module 304, which may analyze datain some manner. Data analysis module 304 may comprise various types ofsub-modules, such as dwelling analyzer 306 and policy analyzer 308. Ingeneral, dwelling analyzer 306 may perform an analysis of collected dataregarding various attributes of dwelling 300, such as, for example, butnot limited to, structural condition of the dwelling 300 andenvironmental conditions detected in the vicinity of the dwelling 300.Policy analyzer 308 may perform an analysis of an insurance policyassociated with the dwelling 300 in order to identify and recommendinsurance policy products/services, as described below in connectionwith FIG. 5 .

Dwelling analyzer 306 may further include be configured and operationalto send command signals to sensors 102. Such command signals may be sentthrough dwelling computing device 300, or such commands may be sentdirectly to sensors 102. Such command signals may include, for exemplarypurposes only and without limitation, an instruction to take animmediate reading, an instruction to take a series of readings (e.g.,every five minutes for one hour, every minute for one week), aninstruction to take more frequent readings (e.g., every hour rather thanevery six hours), an instruction to take less frequent readings (e.g,every day rather than every hour), and/or any permutations orderivations thereof as will be known by those skilled in the art.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show, in the form of a flow chart, exemplary operationalsteps of the dwelling analyzer 306 and policy analyzer 308,respectively. Before turning to descriptions of FIGS. 4 and 5 , it isnoted that the flow diagram shown therein are described, by way ofexample, with reference to components shown in FIGS. 1-3 , althoughthese operational steps may be carried out in any system and are notlimited to the scenario shown in the aforementioned figures.Additionally, the flow diagrams in FIGS. 4 and 5 show an example inwhich operational steps are carried out in a particular order, asindicated by the lines connecting the blocks, but the various stepsshown in these diagrams can be performed in any order, or in anycombination or sub-combination.

With reference to FIG. 4 , at 402, dwelling analyzer 306 preferablycollects informatic data from one or more informatic sensors 102relating to dwelling 300. In an embodiment of the present invention,this step may involve computing device 103 periodically contacting (vianetwork 100), at prescribed time intervals, data analyzer component 304running on server 106 to send accumulated data. In an alternativeembodiment, contact between the dwelling computing device 103 anddwelling analyzer 306 may be initiated when the dwelling analyzer 306contacts the dwelling computing device 103. Following the initialcontact, dwelling analyzer 306 may receive data from the dwellingcomputing device 103. It is to be understood data packets collected fromsensors 102 can be aggregated in dwelling computing device 103 and sentas an aggregated packet to dwelling analyzer 306 for subsequentanalysis. As mentioned below in each of illustrative steps 404 to 412,dwelling analyzer 306 is preferably configured and operational toperform analytical analysis on the aforementioned received informaticdata to determine a dwelling assessment value preferably regardingdwelling 300, which dwelling assessment value may identify one or moreinsurance risks associated with the dwelling 300 (e.g., steps 404 to412).

At 404, dwelling analyzer 306 preferably processes the informatics datacollected by a plurality of sensors 102 to assess environmentalconditions related to the dwelling 300. Environmental conditions mayinclude, but are not limited to: temperature conditions, windconditions, air quality present in the dwelling 300, humidity present inthe dwelling 300, and so forth. In various embodiments of the presentinvention, the plurality of sensors 102 measuring and/or collectingenvironmental informatics data may include one or more of temperaturesensors, humidity sensors, sound sensors, wind speed sensors,environmental sensors, and so on. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, dwelling analyzer 306 may collect data from more than onedwelling in a geographic area to determine the general level of risk inthe area. For example, dwelling analyzer 306 may analyze the data fromapproximately ten houses in a particular geographic location todetermine that average wind speed has been increasing over the past fewyears. As another example, dwelling analyzer 306 may determine whether aparticular geographic area in which the dwelling 300 is located is proneto earthquakes based on recent seismic activity measured by variousenvironmental sensors 102. This information may be used by policyanalyzer 308, for instance, to determine proper insurance coveragemodifications.

At 406, based on data collected from sensors 102 regarding dwelling 300,dwelling analyzer 306 preferably conducts an analysis to determine astructural condition of the dwelling 300. For example, dwelling analyzer306 may determine whether harsh environmental conditions, such ashurricane, storm surge, earthquake, volcano, landslide, and the like,have affected structural integrity of the dwelling 300. In addition tothe above, some geographic regions commonly experience problems thatcannot only be a nuisance to those living in the residence, but whichcan also destroy the structural integrity of the dwelling structureitself. For example, termites are just one type of insect that are knownto infest and damage homes. Thus, dwelling analyzer 306 may conduct ananalysis to detect dangerous insect infestations within the dwelling 300structure. As yet another non-limiting example, in this step dwellinganalyzer 306 may detect a hole in the roof of the dwelling 300 requiringimmediate repair. In general, at 406, dwelling analyzer 306 may analyzethe collected data to determine whether dwelling 300 and/or any of itscomponents satisfy structural soundness requirements.

At 408, dwelling analyzer 306 conducts an analysis to determine amaintenance score value corresponding to the dwelling 300. For example,dwelling analyzer 306 may generate the maintenance score value basedupon the dwelling age, dwelling type and any repair and/or maintenanceneeds identified at 404 and 406. It is noted that repair/maintenanceneeds may include, but not limited to, immediate repair needs andpreventive maintenance needs. In general, any dwelling condition thataffects the residents' health or safety may be considered by dwellinganalyzer 306 as requiring an immediate repair. For instance a hole mayhave been detected in the roof of dwelling 300 (via one or more sensors102), requiring immediate repair. As another example, an environmentalsensor may have detected a gas leak or any contaminant adverse to humanhealth. As an example of preventive maintenance needs, based upon an airflow analysis, dwelling analyzer 306 may have detected that damagedframes and/or dividers allow air leaks into dwelling 300. Thus, dwellinganalyzer 306 may consider window replacement as a preventive maintenancefactor in calculation of the maintenance score value. The generatedmaintenance score may be represented in the form of a numerical value,such as a value ranging from 0 to 5 for each of the factors, as well asa combined (average or weighted average) aggregate score.

Dwelling 300 may contain a plurality of appliances located therein or inits vicinity. Accordingly, at 410, dwelling analyzer 306 preferablyperforms an analysis of data collected from such appliances, such astheir age, operating parameters, maintenance/repair issues, and thelike. This step may further involve analyzing environmental conditionsin which appliances operate. For example, dwelling analyzer 306 may useenvironmental data measured with a plurality of sensors 102 situated ator near the analyzed appliances. The environmental data may beindicative of temperature, humidity, pressure, averages of the foregoingmeasurements over a time period, etc. More specifically, dwellinganalyzer 306 may be configured to identify maintenance/repair issuesbased upon environmental conditions in conjunction with operatingparameters. In addition, dwelling analyzer 306 may detect performancedegradation of an appliance (e.g., refrigerator) upon either it's pastoperating performance efficiency and/or its operating performancefalling outside of threshold values prescribed for it by a manufacturer.As another non-limiting example, dwelling analyzer 306 may detect adirty filter in another appliance (e.g., HVAC component) and/or maydetect degradation in HVAC component performance likely contributable toa dirty filter element.

Next, at 412, dwelling analyzer 306 preferably determines habits andtrends of dwelling 300 inhabitants based on collected informatics sensordata. In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more appliancesensors 102 may be employed to measure the use of cooking appliancessuch as a kettle, a fridge, a washing machine, a microwave oven or anelectric cooker. For example, dwelling analyzer 306 may detect thecooking time trends by detecting that a rice cooker or microwave oven isturned on/off, detecting that a gas range or an IH (Induction-Heating)cooking heater is turned on/off or detecting other cooking home electricappliances are turned on/off. As another example, dwelling analyzer 306may combine data collected from various types of sensors, such as motionand appliance sensors 102, to determine, for instance, whether any ofthe cooking appliances remain unattended for an extended period of time,thus increasing the risk of fire. The daily cooking activity trackingmay be adaptive. In other words, dwelling analyzer 306 preferablygradually adjusts to the dwelling inhabitant's new activities and/orhabits if they change over time. As another non-limiting example,dwelling analyzer 306 may flag certain determined water consumptionand/or energy consumption patterns of dwelling inhabitants as hazardous.In general, dwelling analyzer 306 may assess the risk of fires,flooding, explosions and theft of personal property, amongst otherrisks, arising from various activities of dwelling inhabitants and/orevents observed at the dwelling 300.

Thus, in steps 402-412, dwelling analyzer 306 analyzes variousconditions that are present at the dwelling 300, in advance of anyactual damage event. At 414, dwelling analyzer 306 preferably transmitsthis comprehensive dwelling 300 assessment to policy analyzer module308. In an embodiment of the present invention, the comprehensiveassessment data may include, but not limited to, dwelling's structuralcondition, maintenance score value, risky habits and trends of dwellinginhabitants, environmental conditions related to the dwelling 300, andthe like. In an alternative embodiment, dwelling analyzer 306 may storethis information in insurance server's 106 storage component.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of operational steps of the policy analyzermodule of FIG. 3 in accordance with an illustrated embodiment. At 502,policy analyzer 308 preferably receives dwelling 300 assessmentinformation from the dwelling analyzer 306. In an alternative embodimentof the present invention, this step may involve the policy analyzer 308retrieving such information from the insurance server's 106 storagecomponent. Next, policy analyzer 308 preferably maps thereceived/retrieved data to a particular insurance policy associated withthe dwelling 300.

At 504, policy analyzer 308 preferably receives electronic data relatingthe mapped insurance policy (step 502) and electronically analyzes theinsurance policy electronic data associated with the dwelling 300 tofurther assess perceived dwelling exposure (e.g., analyze the insurancepolicy to determine prescribed insurance coverage and liability valuefor the dwelling 300). For example, policy analyzer 308 may identify thetype of the insurance policy and may identify one or more perils coveredby the policy. As used herein, the term “peril” refers to a cause ofloss. By way of example, such perils (or perilous events) may include anatural disaster (e.g., a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood,etc.), a manmade disaster (e.g. a release of hazardous material, gaspipe explosion, arson, etc.), and the like. Coverage can be provided onan “all perils” basis, or a “named perils” basis. Named perils policiestypically list exactly what is covered by the policy, while open perils(or all perils) policies may list what is excluded from coverage. Thus,in an embodiment of the present invention, policy analyzer 308 mayidentify perils and/or other risks excluded from coverage.

At 506, policy analyzer 308 preferably identifies one or more policymodifications based on the analysis conducted at 504 and based ondwelling assessment information received from the dwelling analyzer 306.Such policy modifications may include, but are not limited to, policydiscount modifications, adjustments to coverage limits, premiumadjustments, and the like. For example, discount on the insurance policyfor the dwelling 300 may be provided based on the decision of anowner/operator of the dwelling to share data from sensors 102 with aninsurance carrier (e.g., insurance carrier server 106). Maintaining (orproviding adjustments to) the policy discount may be contingent upon theadherence of certain conditions, such as maintenance of the dwellingstructure, as determined by the dwelling analyzer 306 based on datacaptured from the dwelling sensors 102. Advantageously, the analysisperformed by the policy analyzer 308 may account for dwellinginhabitants' habits and trends. For example, fires are most often causedby owners' and residents' bad habits, common mistakes, or negligence.Therefore, if dwelling analyzer 306 determines that the cookingappliances remain unattended in the dwelling 300 for an extended periodof time frequently, thus increasing the risk of fire, policy analyzer308 may increase policy premiums accordingly. It is to be appreciated,and as further explained below, policy analyzer 308 preferably utilizespredefined business rules using at least a dwelling assessment (e.g.,steps 404 to 412) and determined insurance coverage and liability values(e.g., step 504) for an insurance policy relating to the dwelling 300 todetermine one or more insurance products for inclusion with theinsurance policy to mitigate insuree liability regarding the dwelling300.

At 508, policy analyzer 308 preferably determines a coverage gapassociated with a natural disaster, such as, for example, but notlimited to, an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, typhoon, flood, fire, andthe like. In an embodiment of the present invention, once policyanalyzer 308 identifies all perils covered by the insurance policy, itpreferably evaluates levels of exposure for each peril based on observedand/or historical data provided by the dwelling analyzer 306. As anillustrative example, policy analyzer 308 may determine estimatedlikelihood that a specified peril (e.g., a tornado) may occur in ageographical zone corresponding to dwelling's 300 location, based onenvironmental conditions (i.e., wind speed measurements) analyzed by thedwelling analyzer 306. In an embodiment of the present invention, policyanalyzer 308 may perform evaluation of the probable maximum loss (“PML”)corresponding to the dwelling 300. Determining the PML for a property isconventionally treated as an evaluation of the costs likely to beincurred in response to a particular loss event. In addition, policyanalyzer 308 may determine whether any additional coverage (not coveredby the current policy) may be provided. For example, homeowners policiesgenerally exclude most or all damage to the property from flood(including hurricane storm surge), earth movement (due to settling,shrinking, expansion, earthquake, volcano and landslide), pollution,war, and nuclear accidents. As another example, if policy analyzer 308determines that estimated likelihood of earthquake occurrence issufficiently high, in response, policy analyzer 308 may recommendearthquake coverage, for example, as a separate insurance policy. It isnoted that policy analyzer 308 may provide similar recommendations withrespect to other natural disasters based on the analysis performed bythe dwelling analyzer 306. In various embodiments of the presentinvention, policy analyzer 308, may consider dwelling assessmentattributes provided by the dwelling analyzer 306, such as the age of thedwelling, maintenance score value, risky habits and trends of dwellinginhabitants, environmental conditions related to the dwelling, thepresence of sprinkler systems, and the like, to reduce or increasecoverage limits.

At 510, policy analyzer 308 preferably determines a coverage gapassociated with general liability insurance. Liability section of theinsurance policy typically provides coverage in the event a dwellinginhabitant/operator is legally responsible for injury to others. It isnoted that homeowner's policies typically have a variety of liabilityexclusions. For example, the homeowner's policy may exclude coverage forinjuries to any tenants when more than two of them reside in the covereddwelling. So, if dwelling analyzer 306 determines that three upstairsbedrooms in the dwelling 300 are rented, policy analyzer 308 mayrecommend, for instance, a commercial policy for rooming houses. Asanother non-limiting example, if dwelling analyzer 306 determines that apet (i.e., a dog) resides with one of the tenants in the dwelling 300,the current insurance policy may not cover the landlord of the dwelling300 for tenant's dog biting someone on the dwelling premises. As aresult, the landlord may be held responsible for the injuries. Thus,policy analyzer 308 may recommend to increase general liability coverageto provide additional protection for the policy holder (i.e., landlord).

Next, at 512, policy analyzer 308 optionally determines a coverage gapassociated with personal property. Personal property coverage typicallypays for a loss of policy holder's personal possessions, such asclothing, furniture, TV, stereo and other unattached personal items. Inan embodiment of the present invention, policy analyzer 308 may evaluatecurrent policy to determine if additional coverage for higher valueditems may be needed. For instance, a homeowners insurance policynormally provides limited coverage for collectibles, jewelry, furs, andthe like. Thus, policy analyzer 308 may recommend an additionalinsurance product, such as, for example, a personal property floater. Apersonal property floater may itemize each item, describe the iteminsured, and list excluded perils. A personal property floater normallyprovides coverage that is broader than the coverage in standardhomeowners insurance policy. Thus, in this step, policy analyzer 308 mayevaluate policy holder's risk in this area, based on the dwellingassessment attributes provided by dwelling analyzer 306, and mayrecommend a diversity of insurance products that may address such risk.

As previously noted, dwelling 300 may contain a plurality of applianceslocated therein or in its vicinity. Some of the risks involvingappliances may be covered under a homeowner's policy associated with thedwelling 300, while other risks may not be covered. For instance, normalwear and tear to appliances typically is not covered under a homeowner'sinsurance policy. At 514, policy analyzer 308 may analyzemaintenance/repair issues identified by dwelling analyzer 306, in orderto recommend an insurance product that may provide adequate protectionfor the homeowner. For example, policy analyzer 308 may recommend anappliance breakdown coverage or home warranty insurance plans. Theseplans typically cover the gap left by homeowner's insurance. A list ofappliances that may be covered by the appliance breakdown coverage planincludes, but is not limited to, washers and dryers, computers,dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, ovens and microwaves, garbagedisposals, heat pumps, heating and air conditioning systems, electricalservice panels, home security systems, water heaters, well water pumps,sump pumps, surround sound systems, swimming pool equipment,televisions, and the like. As a non-limiting example, if dwellinganalyzer 306 detects a surge in electric power that may damage one ormore appliances in the dwelling 300, in response, policy analyzer 308may recommend an insurance product that would provide breakdown coveragefor such appliances.

At 516, policy analyzer 308 preferably determines replacement cost forthe dwelling 300 and/or personal property located therein. In anembodiment of the present invention, this step may involve policyanalyzer 308 determining the PML in relation to a particular loss event.For example, this valuation may be determined as the replacement cost ofrestoring the dwelling 300 in the event of a flood or rebuilding astructure following a fire. Accordingly, policy analyzer 308 mayrecommend an adjustment to the current policy. For example, replacementcost estimates may be influenced by supply of labor, demand for labor,and the cost of construction materials. Thus, policy analyzer 308 mayrecommend to change the coverage amount to maintain coverage at leastequal to 100 percent of the estimated replacement cost coverage for thedwelling 300.

At 518, policy analyzer 308 optionally determines a need for an umbrellainsurance policy. Umbrella insurance refers to an insurance policy thatprotects the assets and future income of the policyholder above andbeyond the standard limits set on their primary (i.e., underlying)insurance policies. Typically, an umbrella policy is pure liabilitycoverage over and above the coverage afforded by the underlying policy.The term “umbrella” is used because it covers liability claims from allpolicies underneath it. For example, if a policyholder has a homeowner'spolicy with a limit of $300,000 and an earthquake policy with a limit of$500,000, then with a million dollar umbrella insurance policy,policyholder's combined limits become in effect, i.e. $1,300,000 on ahomeowners liability claim and $1,500,000 on an earthquake claim.Umbrella insurance may also provide coverage for claims that may beexcluded by the primary policies. Thus, instead of recommending toincrease general liability coverage, as discussed above in connectionwith step 510, at 518 policy analyzer 308 may recommend an umbrellainsurance policy. If at 504 policy analyzer determines that the dwelling300 is already covered by an umbrella insurance policy, at 518 policyanalyzer 308 may automatically determine whether an adjustment is neededto the dwelling's current umbrella policy, for example, in view of thesuggested changes to the underlying homeowner's insurance policy. Forinstance, if the policy analyzer 308 recommends (e.g., at 514) to addone or more appliances to the underlying insurance policy or policies,then additional umbrella coverage may be needed based on that additionalappliance added to the policy. In addition, policy analyzer 308 maydetermine that an adjustment is needed to the current umbrella policy inview of the hazardous habits of dwelling occupants, which may have beendetected by the dwelling analyzer 306.

At 520, policy analyzer 308 preferably automatically generates acomprehensive set of insurance products recommendations based on theanalysis performed at steps 504-518. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, policy analyzer 308 may be configured to generate apredetermined number of insurance product recommendations based, forexample, on correlation degrees of various insurance products associatedwith the dwelling 300. In addition, policy analyzer 308 may determine amultiple policy discount value, which can apply to combinations ofmultiple insurance policies.

At 522, policy analyzer 308 preferably provides a notificationindicating suggested insurance product recommendations. It is to beappreciated that policy analyzer 308 may be configured to electronicallydeliver all notifications regarding recommended insurance products orservices. The notification can be anything that advises a policy holder,device, or computer system of the suggested changes, including but notlimited to, a display of text on a local display screen, a message in anemail sent to a local or remote computer, a text message, acommunication to a remote computer system. It is to be also understoodand appreciated that policy analyzer 308 may be configured andoperational to integrate with policy holder's communicative computingdevices (e.g., smart phones (via an app), computers, tablets, smartTV's, vehicle communication systems, kitchen communication systems,etc.) for sending such notifications regarding insurance productrecommendations. In an embodiment of the present invention, eachnotification may include, but not limited to, adjusted coverage limitsand premiums, coverage adjustments, additional insurance products andservices, and the like. Additionally, policy analyzer 308 may save theaforementioned recommendations in the insurance server's 106 storagecomponent. These recommendations may then be automatically communicatedto the policy holder and/or reflected in the policy holder's nextinsurance billing statement.

With certain illustrated embodiments described above, it is to beappreciated that various non-limiting embodiments described herein maybe used separately, combined or selectively combined for specificapplications. Further, some of the various features of the abovenon-limiting embodiments may be used without the corresponding use ofother described features. For example, although the techniques aredescribed above in the context of providing coverage for various items(such as personal property items), similar techniques may be used in thecontext of other types of property coverage or other types ofinsurance-related coverage. The foregoing description should thereforebe considered as merely illustrative of the principles, teachings andexemplary embodiments of this invention, and not in limitation thereof.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the illustratedembodiments. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope ofthe illustrated embodiments, and the appended claims are intended tocover such modifications and arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a database configured tostore at least one insurance dataset corresponding to a dwelling, the atleast one insurance dataset comprising information corresponding to oneor more insurance coverages of one or more attributes of the dwelling; aplurality of sensors associated with the dwelling and configured to:capture data associated with one or more water-related propertiesassociated with the dwelling; and electronically transmit the data; anda server communicatively coupled with the database and the plurality ofsensors, the server configured to: transmit an instruction to at leastone sensor of the plurality of sensors, the instruction configured toinitiate a data capture by the at least one sensor; determine astructural susceptibility value of the dwelling based on the data;retrieve the at least one insurance dataset corresponding to thedwelling; determine whether the at least one insurance dataset comprisesat least one data record corresponding to the structural susceptibilityvalue; and transmit an electronic message configured to notify anelectronic device associated with the dwelling in response to the atleast one insurance dataset lacking the at least one data record, theelectronic message indicative of the at least one data record beingexcluded from the one or more insurance coverages.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one watersensor.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more water-relatedproperties are related to detection of water, water pressure detection,or both, in a plumbing system associated with the dwelling.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the insurance dataset excluded from the oneor more insurance coverages corresponds to a coverage gap correspondingto water damage in the dwelling.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theat least one sensor comprises one or more probes disposed in one or morelocations of the dwelling and configured to detect the one or morewater-related properties in the one or more locations.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect the oneor more water-related properties related to a dishwasher or washingmachine associated the dwelling.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein theserver is configured to: transmit a second instruction to an appliancesensor, wherein the second instruction is configured to cause theappliance sensor to send additional data associated with one or morewater-related operating parameters of one or more appliances within thedwelling; and determine an appliance susceptibility value based on theadditional data received from the appliance sensor.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the server is configured to: determine whether the atleast one insurance dataset comprises an additional data recordcorresponding to the appliance susceptibility value; and transmit anadditional electronic message configured to notify the electronic deviceassociated with the dwelling in response to the at least one insurancedataset lacking the additional data record, the electronic messageindicative of the additional data record being excluded from the one ormore insurance coverages.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the serveris configured to determine a maintenance score based on the structuralsusceptibility value.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the electronicmessage comprises the maintenance score.
 11. A method, comprising:transmitting, by a processor, an instruction to a water sensor of aplurality of electronic sensor devices, wherein the instruction isconfigured to cause the water sensor to send data associated with one ormore water-related properties of a dwelling to the processor, andwherein the plurality of electronic sensor devices is associated withthe dwelling; determining, by the processor, a structural susceptibilityvalue of the dwelling based on the data received from the water sensor;retrieving, by the processor and from a database, at least one insurancedataset corresponding to the dwelling, the database configured to storethe at least one insurance dataset corresponding to the dwelling, the atleast one insurance dataset comprising one or more data recordscorresponding to one or more insurance coverages of one or moreattributes of the dwelling; determining, by the processor, whether theat least one insurance dataset comprises at least one data recordcorresponding to the structural susceptibility value; and transmitting,by the processor, an electronic message configured to notify anelectronic device associated with the dwelling in response to the atleast one insurance dataset lacking the at least one data record, theelectronic message indicative of the structural susceptibility value andthe at least one data record being excluded from the one or moreinsurance coverages.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the watersensor comprises one or more probes disposed in one or more locations ofthe dwelling and configured to detect the one or more water-relatedproperties in the one or more locations.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein the plurality of electronic sensor devices is configured todetect temperature data, humidity data, water leak data, wind speeddata, motion data, electrical data, positional data, structural data,environmental data, appliance data, image data, or any combinationthereof.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or morewater-related properties are related to the detection of water, waterpressure detection, or both, in a plumbing system associated with thedwelling.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic deviceassociated with the dwelling is a mobile device.
 16. The method of claim11, wherein the at least one data record corresponds to a coverage gap.17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electronic sensordevices comprises an appliance sensor configured to detect the one ormore water-related properties associated with an appliance in orproximate to the dwelling.
 18. The method of claim 17, comprising:transmitting, by the processor, a second instruction to the appliancesensor, wherein the second instruction is configured to cause theappliance sensor to send additional data associated with one or moreoperating parameters of the appliance; and determining, by theprocessor, an appliance susceptibility value based on the additionaldata.
 19. The method of claim 18, comprising: determining, by theprocessor, whether the at least one insurance dataset comprises anadditional data record corresponding to the appliance susceptibilityvalue; and transmitting, by the processor, an additional electronicmessage configured to notify the electronic device associated with thedwelling in response to the at least one insurance dataset lacking theadditional data record, the electronic message indicative of theadditional data record being excluded from the one or more insurancecoverages.
 20. A tangible, non-transitory, and computer readable mediumstoring processor-executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:transmitting an instruction to a water sensor of a plurality ofelectronic sensor devices, wherein the instruction is configured tocause the water sensor to send data associated with one or morewater-related properties of a dwelling to the processor, and wherein theplurality of electronic sensor devices is associated with the dwelling;determining a structural susceptibility value of the dwelling based onthe data received from the water sensor; retrieving, from a database, atleast one insurance dataset corresponding to the dwelling, the databaseconfigured to store the at least one insurance dataset corresponding tothe dwelling, the insurance dataset comprising one or more data recordscorresponding to one or more insurance coverages of one or moreattributes of the dwelling; determining whether the at least oneinsurance dataset comprises at least one data record corresponding tothe structural susceptibility value; and transmitting an electronicmessage configured to notify an electronic device associated with thedwelling in response to the at least one insurance dataset lacking theat least one data record, the electronic message indicative of thestructural susceptibility value and the at least one data record beingexcluded from the one or more insurance coverages.